Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Austroads’ latest report sets out a framework for undertaking risk assessments of transporting dangerous goods in road tunnels.
Dangerous goods are items or substances which are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment such as petrol, liquefied petroleum gas, paints, pesticides and acids.
The most common approach to transporting dangerous goods is on roads however, this can be contentious, especially when navigating through sensitive infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels or when the route is near schools or hospitals.
The report recognises that the transport of dangerous goods carries some inherent risk but that banning dangerous goods from tunnels can shift this risk to other areas that may increase the overall risk profile and have an economic impact.
The report provides an approach for road managers to compare the societal benefits of using a road tunnel or another surface route across a complete journey. It also provides information on the application of design methods to reduce risks.
It is expected that Stage 2 of this research (Dangerous Goods in Tunnels - ART6122) will review and further expand on this topic. The project is due to be completed in mid 2020.
Dangerous Goods in Tunnels: Literature Review documents the results of an extensive literature review involving international and local studies and methodologies, trial reports, and media.
Dangerous Goods in Tunnels: Application and Methodology documents the framework and considerations to be applied in undertaking the dangerous goods risk assessment.